


getting better, together

by smartbuckley



Series: Buddie Tumblr Prompts [25]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Aquaphobia, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M, POV Evan "Buck" Buckley, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Tsunami (9-1-1)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23091832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smartbuckley/pseuds/smartbuckley
Summary: Ever since the tsunami happened, Buck has stayed away from water. It isn't until it affects his job that Eddie tells him Christopher has been having problems too. How do Buck and Chris help one another get over their fears? By going to the local pool.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: Buddie Tumblr Prompts [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1528010
Comments: 31
Kudos: 420





	getting better, together

**Author's Note:**

> I rather enjoy this fic. I hope you guys enjoy it too.
> 
> **Original Prompt** : _Prompt: After the tsunami and the law suit, things are slowly getting back to good between Buck and everyone. When Eddie reveals that Christopher gets nervous at the mere mention of the beach, Buck comes up with a plan to ease his fears, baby steps and plenty of love. When Buck has a day off but Eddie has to work, he's charged with watching Chris and they go to a pool. Chris is nervous at first but they slowly start to have fun. Unexpectedly the 118 gets a call nearby and Eddie sees them._

It was the first call of the day, and everything surrounding Buck was pure chaos. He could hear the sirens of the fire-truck coming from in front of the house, but more than that, he could hear the screams of the mother he was holding onto as Eddie and Bobby currently performed CPR on the seven year old child that had fallen into the back yard pool when no one had been looking. He had tried his best to stop her from screaming out her agony, but he could understand it - could understand the pain the woman was going through as she saw her son no breathing, drenched in water.

Buck could, more than anything, understand what was going through that woman’s mind, because he could very well remember what was going through his mind only a few short months ago. Briefly, he realized the woman had stopped screaming and looked at her carefully, relaxing when he had realized she had stopped screaming because her kid was  _ breathing _ , and wasn’t that a good thing to know about.

“You know, I know what you’re going through,” Buck whispers, loosening his hold on her as she lets out a relieved sob, looking at him carefully. Knowing she’s not going to say anything else, Buck lets out a soft sigh, shaking his head. 

“I was on the pier, when the tsunami happened, with my b--- my son,” he admits, shaking his head, heart beating fast in his chest as he tries not to think too hard about the memories that flash through his mind, as he tries not to think about how he’s just admitted to Christopher being his son, thankful that Eddie is busy checking that the little kid is alright and not drowning. He can see the woman turn to look at him, a frown on her face, before she shakes her head.

“My son was on the pier too with his father. We’re still - very much trying to get over everything that’s happened because of the day,” the woman says, voice soft and Buck nods, letting her go completely when he sees Eddie and Bobby helping the kid sit up properly before he turns towards his mother and she rushes to him.

Something in Buck stays tense until Eddie is standing next to him, a frown on his face as Buck wearily eyes the water in the pool, wanting to step as far away as possible but knowing that logically, he can’t show any more weakness, especially after the lawsuit, when his relationship with the members of the fire-station are already fragile.

“Buck,” He hears Eddie say, stepping closer to him and placing his hands on Buck’s face, Buck blinking as he focuses on Eddie and not the pool, cheeks turning red as he considers the heat of Eddie’s palms on his cheek, his Adam's apple bobbing when he gulps.

“Yeah?” He asks, looking at Eddie briefly before avoiding his eyes, not wanting to see disappointment in Eddie’s eyes like he thought he would see when Eddie had dropped Christopher off that one day. Eddie’s not having it though, moving his body and head so that he’s looking at Buck himself, holding Buck’s head in place, making the man dizzy with the feelings that are brought on by that.

“Are you okay?” Eddie asks and Buck has to blink once more, not quite understanding the question, which Eddie can definitely see.

“You normally would have jumped in with me,” he whispers and Buck blinks, realizing that yeah, Buck normally would have jumped into the pool with Eddie, no questions asked. But ever since the tsunami, his nightmares have been worse and his aversion to water -- it’s definitely grown.

Opening and closing his mouth, Buck doesn’t really know what to say, and he can’t help but focus on the frown on Eddie’s face that’s growing more and more. It’s been  _ months _ since the tsunami happened and Buck’s still feeling like this and he just feels like --

“I’m sorry--” he gasps, shaking his head and he sees Eddie frown, stepping close and shaking his head, shushing him while running his fingers through Buck’s hair.

“There’s nothing you need to be sorry for, Buck,” Eddie whispers and Buck can’t stop himself from placing his head onto Eddie’s shoulder, breathing in the man’s scent and slowly calming down from the anxiety that he knew was growing up inside of him. Buck wants to explain, wants to tell Eddie what’s going through his mind, but he can’t -- he can’t open his mouth and do that, so instead he just wraps his arms around Eddie’s hips, pulling him in closer and breathing him in, silently, until he hears Bobby clearing his throat from the side.

Both men move their heads to look at Bobby, though Buck can feel his cheeks turning a bright red as he looks back at them, calculating before he arches his eyebrow and smirks lightly. “We’re heading back now. You two coming, or just going to continue standing in this ladies backyard, cuddling?” He asks, and Buck lets out a small groan before he pulls away from Eddie, walking towards the truck, jumping in surprise when Eddie takes hold of his hand and laces their fingers together.

His heart is pounding inside his chest as they get up into the truck, ignoring the looks Hen and Chimney give them as they sit down, Buck tilting his head back as he looks at Eddie through his eyelashes.

“I haven’t been back in water since the tsunami,” Buck whispers, the truck starting blocking Hen and Chimney from hearing as Eddie turns to look at him, eyes widening a little while Buck continues, “I take short as fuck showers now, and sometimes I shake when I have to place my hands in the sink to do dishes,” he adds, and he can see the comprehension settling in Eddie’s face as he remembers the plastic dishes in his sink from when he had Christopher over for pizza and games.

“It’s...terrifying, Eddie,” Buck admits, looking at the other man and wishing he could just cuddle into him again, though he doesn’t know how well Eddie would take that, despite the fact that they’ve been flirting more, and are currently holding hands. Eddie stays quiet for a few minutes, almost like he’s thinking over the words he wants to say next before he lets out a small sigh, turning to face Buck completely. 

“You know you’re not alone, right?” Eddie asks and Buck turns towards him with a frown, not sure how to respond.

“Every time I ask Christopher about going to the beach, he clams up and shakes his head, before hiding into his room for most of the day. I’ve just gotten him used to taking baths again to the point where I don’t need to take a bath with him,” Eddie says softly, a small smile forming on his face when Buck’s hand tightens his hold against Eddie’s.

“Chris is still afraid?” Buck questions, his heart pounding when Eddie nods.

“Do you want me to help? Maybe I can help you and you and I can help Chris?” Eddie asks and Buck finds himself tilting his head back in response, eyes widening before he blinks, a small smile on his face as he bites his lower lip, wondering --

“You don’t have to agree, of course, but I just -- i missed having you have my back, back there,” Eddie says, voice soft and something in Buck almost moves forward to kiss the man before the truck comes to a stop, Buck blinking back to awareness as everyone gets out of the truck. Edie though - Eddie is looking at Buck patiently, waiting for an answer and Buck can’t help but smile, nodding his head.

“Yeah, okay, that’s -- that sounds kind of amazing, to be honest,” Buck admits, tilting his head down as he blushes before he feels Eddie lift it up and kiss his forehead.

“Good. I’ll see you after work,” Eddie says, jumping out of the truck as Buck blinks in confusion before he realizes Eddie no doubt wants him to come over tonight to try it. Jumping out of the truck quickly, Buck follows Eddie to the lockers, shaking his head as he tries to find the words to display his fear.

“Hey, we don’t have to do anything tonight. I was thinking of taking Chris to the pool tomorrow to help him out with his own fears, if you want to come along, but for tonight, I just want you to come over in general, okay?” Eddie says and Buck finds himself taking a deep breath before nodding at Eddie, leaning forward to hug him, finding himself so thankful for the other man.

“You know I’m always going to be here to help you, right?” Eddie whispers and Buck lets out a breath, nodding for a minute before pulling away from Eddie with a smile. Before anything else can be said, the sirens go off, and the day continues.

* * *

When the shift is done and over with, Buck tells Eddie he’ll meet the other man at his home, though, part of him feels terrified of going over and being pushed over the edge when it comes to dealing with anything water related. Logically, Buck knows Eddie would never even think of pushing Buck to do something if he said he wasn’t ready but for Buck -- well, part of Buck had that fear nonetheless.

But eventually, he started his jeep up and made his way to Eddie’s, taking a deep breath when he parked in the driveway and turned off his car, spotting a small frame in front of the window moving towards the door. With a small grin on his face, Buck made his way to the front door, grinning when Christopher opened it and said his name in excitement.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to open the front door unless your Dad was with you, superman?” Buck asks, picking Chris and twirling him before stepping inside and shutting the door.

“But it’s you, Bucky,” Chris laughs and Buck shakes his head, carrying Chris into the living room before plopping Chris down on the couch and grinning up at Eddie, who's looking up at the two of them softly from where he sits in the kitchen.

“What do we have planned for tonight?” Buck asks, inwardly cringing at the hesitancy he can hear in his voice. He knows Eddie can hear it too by the way he looks up at him, though there’s a small smile on his face as he stands up and moves towards the couch.

“Well, we’ve already had dinner, and Chris has already had his bath, so it’s just a movie tonight, and then we’ll put him to bed,” Eddie says and something in Buck relaxes at those words, a small smile on his face as he moves to the middle cushion of the couch, placing Chris onto his lap as Eddie joins them, grabbing the remote.

“What movie are we watching?” Buck asks after a few minutes, head tilted back on the couch as Eddie hums. Buck frowns, raising his head while watching Eddie carefully.

“Finding Nemo,” Christopher answers with a grin and Buck can’t help but grin back at the little man, ruffling his hair with his fingers before getting comfortable and trying his best not to outwardly cringe when the memories of the tsunami are brought up in his mind. He’s always grateful that the movie was never ruined for Christopher, since it’s one of his favorites, but right now, he’d rather not watch it, especially after the day he’s had.

With the movie started, Buck finds himself getting comfortable, Eddie’s arm spread over the back of the couch, his hand playing with the strands of Buck’s hair on the nape of his neck. The movement has him closing his eyes, the emotional exhaustion of the day getting to him, even when he feels Christopher poking him to stay awake.

“Bucky, you gotta - gotta wake up for this - this part,” Buck hears Chris say and he finds himself sitting up straight and stretching, a yawn escaping him before he rubs his eyes, blinking at a smiling Eddie before sticking his tongue out at him and turning towards a giggling Christopher, poking him in his ribs lightly before turning towards the television.

“Just keep swimming, huh,” he says softly, his mind going back to the tsunami once again. Before he can truly panic though, he feels Eddie rubbing the back of his neck and relaxes into the touch, grinning when Christopher snuggles into him and sings along to Dory, his body growing heavy against Buck’s side.

A few minutes after the just keep swimming scene has happened, Buck feels Christopher fall into sleep against his side immediately and turns to Eddie, who is looking at the two of them already. 

“He’s out like a light, then?” Eddie asks, smiling when Buck nods before carefully picking Chris up and taking him to bed. Eddie isn’t gone long, his body jostling Buck’s when he sits down next to him on the couch, Buck chuckling when he shifts into Eddie’s side because of the movement, Eddie’s arm wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him in closer. Buck is exhausted, his eyes slipping shut as his body seeks Eddie’s warmth, snuggling into his side as Eddie hums softly.

This is something new to their relationship and Buck is going to take every moment he can take until Eddie realizes what’s going on and pushes him away. He can feel the heat of Eddie’s body at his side and all he wants to do is wrap his arms around him and sink into sleep but just as he feels himself doing that, Eddie shifts the two of them, waking Buck up slightly.

“Wha’s goin’ on?” Buck asks, blinking in confusion as Eddie shifts, fingers running through his hair when he realizes Eddie had been on his phone.

“Bobby just called me, asked to take on a quick shift tomorrow,” Eddie replies and Buck frowns, looking up at his boy--  _ best  _ friend. He knows tomorrow was Eddie’s day off - and Buck’s - and that they had talked about doing something with Chris, and he knew it was too last minute to contact Eddie’s Abuela.

“Want me to watch Chris tomorrow?” Buck asks and he can feel Eddie lean down and kiss the top of his head. He’s pretty sure he makes a noise because he hears Eddie chuckle before he wraps himself around Buck and Buck’s too tired to react other than snuggling into him, knowing that eventually, they’ll move to separate bed’s, and the warmth Buck feels will be gone.

“You are amazing,” Eddie whispers and Buck preens, humming in content as his eyes slip close once more. He doesn’t know how long the two of them stay like that before eventually, Buck can feel Eddie shaking him awake, suggesting they go to bed. Buck’s about to turn to head to the guest room before he feels Eddie’s hands in his and he’s being dragged towards Eddie’s bedroom, a small look of confusion on his face before it settles when he’s in Eddie’s bed, Eddie’s scent surrounding him.

“Go to sleep, Buck,” is the last thing he hears before he slips into a deep sleep, Eddie’s scent surrounding him, recognizing faintly, Eddie’s arms pulling him into Eddie’s chest and holding him.

* * *

When Buck wakes up the next morning, the sun is shining brightly in his face, alongside Christopher, who is shaking him lightly with small giggles.Letting out a yawn, Buck moves, taking Christopher with him, causing Chris to giggle more loudly until Buck has the little man in the middle of the bed, between Eddie and him. Briefly, he locks eyes with Eddie and lets out a small smile before he moves to tickle Christopher, feeling out of breath after a few minutes, allowing Eddie to take over.

Buck watches the two of them for a few minutes, feeling like he’s at home, completely comfortable doing so before he stretches and gets out of the bed, feet padding against the floor, blinking in surprise as he realizes he’s not wearing the jeans and shirt he was wearing last night. Looking towards Eddie briefly, he scrunches up his nose when Eddie smiles before he shrugs, not having a problem that Eddie changed him or that he was too tired to remember it last night before he heads to the bathroom attached to Eddie’s room to brush his teeth.

“What do my two favorite boys want for breakfast?” Buck asks when he’s done getting ready for the morning, grabbing Christopher as Eddie gets out of the bed and does his own morning routine. He takes Chris to the kitchen, sitting him down on the chair in the kitchen as he begins looking for ingredients to make some pancakes, Christopher grinning wide and happy as he watches. Eventually, Eddie comes down with his bag, a yawn escaping from him as Buck begins to cook the pancakes after mixing the batter, his hand going around Buck’s waist and pulling him in close as he hugs him from behind. Buck almost freezes before he relaxes, humming softly. He knows the two of them are going to have to talk about where their relationship is going, especially with all of the touches that have been happening but Buck can’t help but be excited because of it.

The next little while flies by and Buck doesn’t stop grinning, alongside Chris and Eddie, as he makes pancakes and eats pancakes and overall has a good time, laughing as the morning goes by before Eddie has to leave for his added shift.

“Daddy, no,” Christopher frowns, his arms going around Eddie’s neck and hugging him as Eddie picks him up. Buck watches with soft eyes, arms folding in front of his chest before he decides to help Eddie out by grabbing onto Chris and holding him, fingers running through his hair to try and calm him down.

Oh, mijo, I’ll be back before dinner, and Buck and you have a fun day filled with activities that will help both of you,” Eddie whispers and Buck’s heart pounds in his chest as he looks up a Eddie with a frown, trying not to panic over the fact that they’re going to be trying to go to the pool today. He remembers, briefly, Eddie mentioning his plans on possibly taking Chris to the pool tomorrow and he wonders if Eddie had this planned. He shakes the thought out of his mind though, knowing he can ask Eddie about it later. When Chris finally allows himself to be transferred to Buck’s arms, Buck smiles softly at Eddie, shifting Chris carefully before he looks at his best friend.

“You’ll be back before dinner?” Buck asks and when Eddie nods his head, Buck lets out a small sigh, feeling relieved as he bites the inside of his cheek, looking away from Eddie for a few seconds before looking back at him.

“I think we’ll stay in and watch movies today but I’ll  _ try _ and get him out to the --” Buck begins before stopping when Chris shifts, looking at them in confusion. Buck smiles softly at Chris before he places him back down on the kitchen chair, kissing the top of his head before Eddie and he walk to the front door, ignoring how Chris frowns and pouts at him. Buck can’t help but chuckle at Chris before he turns towards Eddie and the front door, frowning when he notices Eddie looking at him carefully.

“What?” Buck asks and he blinks a little when Eddie moves forward, his hand wrapping around Buck’s arm, Buck’s heart pounding faster and faster the moment he realizes that Eddie is getting closer. And even though it’s only a few seconds, when Buck feels Eddie’s lips on the top of his forehead, he can feel himself turning red, a small smile forming on his face as Eddie pulls away.

“Just do whatever feels comfortable to you, alright?” Eddie whispers and Buck nods, squeezing Eddie’s wrist before he pulls away, waving goodbye when he gets into his truck and drives it away.

* * *

When Eddie has been gone for at least an hour, Finding Dory on instead of Nemo, Buck finds himself looking over to Christopher and watching him carefully, wondering if Chris wants to go to the pool and is just too scared, if there’s anything that Buck could do that could actually help the little man. 

Running his fingers through Chris’ hair, Buck finds himself shifting before getting himself to Chris’ level on the couch, not sure just how to begin asking Chris his questions. After a few minutes of questioning  _ himself _ , Buck lets out a soft sigh before turning to Chris completely.

“Hey buddy, can I talk to you for a minute?” Buck asks, waiting for Chris to do something, smiling when Chris turns towards him and nods.

“Your Dad and I had a call yesterday where a little boy fell into a swimming pool and nearly drowned. Normally I would have jumped right in alongside your Dad, had his back, but I couldn’t--” Buck says, his voice softening as Chris looks at him with wide eyes.

“How -- how come?” Chris asks, his attention on him fully and Buck lets out a small breath, running his fingers through his own hair briefly before returning them to Christopher’s hair, smiling when Chris leans into the touch.

“Because ever since the tsunami, I’ve been terrified of going into water,” Buck admits and he watches Chris carefully, not surprised when he feels Chris tense up next to him.

“Yeah?” Chris asks, and Buck finds himself humming and nodding.

“It was simple things too, like washing my hands or dishes. And showering? I take very quick showers now,” Buck admits, biting the inside of his cheek before turning to look back at Chris. “And your Dad mentioned the same thing was going on with you,” Buck says and he feels his heart break when Chris sniffles before nodding his head, cuddling into him.

“I only just started taking baths without daddy,” Christopher admits into Buck’s chest and Buck smiles a little.

“And we’re both very proud of you for doing that, superman,” Buck whispers and he can feel Christopher smile against his ribs, and Buck squeezes him gently before continuing to run his fingers through Christopher’s hair.

“And your Dad wanted to take you to the pool today, but since he’s working --” Buck trails off lightly, smiling when Chris looks up at him, wiping his eyes.

“Do you want to take me to the pool?” Chris asks and Buck sucks on his teeth, not sure what to say to the little man. A few minutes pass before Buck turns towards Chris, knowing he needs to be honest.

“I would love to, but I’m still very afraid of water myself, and I don’t know if I  _ can _ , you know?” Buck whispers, and a part of him soars when he feels Christopher nod against him.

“What if we both go together, starting in the shallow end and then dealing with whatever happens?” Buck whispers when he feels Christopher shifting against him. The two remain silent for a few more minutes before Buck feels Christopher pull away from him and look at him with wide eyes.

“Do you - you think we can go to the - the pool?” Christopher asks, and Buck looks at him with a small smile, feeling something akin to pride growing inside his chest as he nods his head.

“I just need to steal a pair of swim trunks from your dad, but yeah, I think we can go to the pool. Do you want to grab your own swimming stuff?” Buck asks, smiling a little bit wider when Chris nods before he makes his way off the couch and into his room, no doubt grabbing what he needs. Frowning a little, Buck slowly gets up and heads to Eddie’s room, opening his drawers, feeling slightly embarrassed as he does so, rooting through for swim trunks while grabbing his phone and texting Eddie quickly with the change in plans. Eventually, Buck finds a pair of trunks that would fit him fine and goes rooting for a few towels and a shirt, not sure if Chris would remember to include that or just change into his trunks and pack a spare set of clothing.

After a few minutes of searching for a spare bag, Buck quickly changes in the washroom before placing his clothing inside the bag, alongside towels, sunscreen, hats, and other things he thinks he’ll need before he heads to the living room and spots Christopher waiting for him with a grin on his face.

“Are you ready, superman?” Buck asks, placing the bag down and slipping on his shoes, quickly rooting the front hallway for a pair of extra shoes for them both, and water shoes that he knows Chris has, but might not want to wear.

“Yes - I have clothes packed and - and I’m wearing my suit under my trunks,” Christopher says with a beam and Buck can’t help but ruffle his hair before he places everything he’s found in the bag.

“I have towels, sunscreen, hats, shoes, and even goggles. Are you ready?” Buck asks, and when Chris nods, less enthusiastic this time, Buck lets out a small breath before he picks Chris up and grabs the bag, his phones and the keys before heading towards his car, smiling at the little man when he shifts.

Getting Chris into his car isn’t a problem, the two having experienced it a fair amount of times since before the tsunami, but Buck can’t help but suck back a breath once he’s finally driving towards the pool, wishing he had Eddie there with him to help calm him down while he was driving. The drive to the pool takes longer than it should, which Buck isn’t surprised by since it’s Los Angeles, but when they finally arrive, he finds himself thanking the stars that the pool they’ve driven to isn’t as busy as it normally would be. 

Unbuckling Chris from his seat takes a few minutes longer than normal though, since Buck’s hands continue to shake and Buck finds himself thanking whatever higher deity that is out there that Chris doesn’t say anything about it.

“It doesn’t look busy,” Chris whispers and Buck looks up at Chris as he continues unbuckling the little man, a small smile on his face as he watches Chris carefully, realizing he’s just as nervous as Buck is, and even though he feels guilty for it, a part of Buck relaxes at that realization.

“It definitely doesn’t, thankfully,” Buck responds back, a small smile on his face as he picks Chris up and then picks up their stuff, heading to the pool slowly. Thankfully, the families that are at the pool are scattered around, mostly near the deeper end and Buck finds himself letting out a small sigh of relief before he finds a spot near the shallow end and places their stuff down, smiling at Christopher when he himself gets put down gently. Buck looks at the pool carefully, eyes narrowing as he sits on one of the loungers provided, Christopher looking at him before sitting in his lap, Buck’s arms wrapping around him as both of them stare at the pool every few minutes before staring at one another. 

“It’s not like the ocean, right?” Chris asks, and Buck shakes his head immediately, his hold on Chris tightening a little.

“No. The only way the water will disappear is when the pool is closed, and the owners need to clean it thoroughly. It won’t be like the ocean where it just --” Buck begins, blinking when Christopher nods in understanding.

“Alright, let’s put some sunscreen on you, and then we can decide when to go in, if we do go in. And if we do, then at least you have sun protection on,” Buck says with a smile, grabbing his bag and rooting through it for the sun screen, smiling when Chris turns and grabs his hat, his own smile on his face.

Buck takes a few minutes lathering sunscreen onto Chris’ arms, legs, and face, poking Chris every few minutes to get him to giggle as he rubs some of the sunscreen onto his hands before lathering himself with the sunscreen, feeling slowly at ease. When they’re done with the sunscreen, Buck adjusts Chris’ hat before putting the sunscreen back into the bag so it doesn’t become liquid in the heat of the day.

“Do you want to dip our toes into the pool, start with that?” Buck asks, not sure how much time has passed since they were sun-screened. He watches Chris carefully, looking for any signs of hesitancy, but after a few seconds, Chris nods and Buck lets out a breath. 

“Alright, do you want me to bring floaties, in case we end up going deeper?” Buck asks and when Chris shakes his head no, something inside of him grows when Chris looks at him.

“You’ll hold me, right, Bucky?” Chris asks, and Buck nods before carefully standing, the two of them slowly making their way to the shallow end’s steps and sitting on the edge, dipping their toes in just like Buck had suggested.

“How’s that?” Buck asks when Chris remains silent for a few minutes, a smile forming immediately on his face when Chris looks up at him with a grin.

“It’s cold,” he giggles and Buck can’t help but laugh, nodding his head.

“Water usually is,” he winks, nudging Chris a little while moving his toes, his body relaxing. The two of them stay like that for a few minutes before eventually deciding to go down a step, adjusting to the water on their butts, Chris giggling as he leans into Buck’s side, Buck’s arm pulling him in around the shoulders. The two continue to do this for fifteen minutes until Buck is sitting on the bottom step, covered to his chest, and Chris is clinging to him, not giggling and only a little tense.

“You’re okay,” Buck whispers, rubbing Chris’ back as Chris nods, pulling away slightly and looking at the deep end when there’s a loud splash to distract them. They stay where they are for a few minutes before Buck takes a deep breath and looks towards Chris.

“Are you ready for me to go into the pool completely?” Buck asks, his heart pounding inside his chest while Chris looks around, biting his lower lip in thought.

“Are you - are you going to be standing?” Chris asks, and Buck shakes his head, a small smile on his face.

“Kneeling. If I stood with you in my arms, you would be very far from the water,” he responds, tickling Chris, who giggles before nodding.

“Okay, Bucky,” he says and with a deep breath, Buck steps fully into the pool, buckling his knees slightly, so that he’s kneeling completely, Chris’ toes in the water completely. The two move around the shallow end of the pool slowly, Buck humming just keep swimming under his breath while Chris giggles. Time passes by slowly for them, Buck continuing to walk the small length of the shallow end until Chris taps him on his shoulder and then tells him Buck can kneel a little bit more, to the point where Chris has water up to the middle of his shins.

Looking over at Chris, Buck watches him carefully, making sure he doesn’t see any panic in him and when he doesn’t, Buck lets out a deep breath before placing his forehead against Chris’ so he can calm himself down. This is the deepest Buck’s been in water since the tsunami and he knows that if it wasn’t for the fact that he was holding Christopher, Buck would very much be having a panic attack right now.

“Are you okay, Bucky?” Chris asks, his voice low and Buck opens his eyes, not realizing he had closed them, smiling softly.

“You stopped moving,” Chris adds and Buck lets out a small breath, continuing to move after a few moments before he looks over at Chris.

“I’m good, superman. Just trying to deal with some of my own panic right now, also,” he says and when Chris nods, Buck can’t help but wonder how this kid can stay so damn positive in his life, awe filling him as he watches Chris for a few minutes before a splash in the deep end surprises him once more. Blinking, Buck turns the two of them so they’re facing the noise, his mouth dropping open in surprise when he sees--

“Daddy!” Christopher shouts gleefully, and Buck has to stop himself from snorting when Eddie looks up -- alongside the entire team -- a grin on his face before he focuses back on the scene in front of him. Buck can’t help but follow suit, feeling more surprised that he had been so caught up in his own head and making sure Chris was okay that he hadn’t realized that not only had something happened, but that 9-1-1 had been called in the first place, and that the team had been dispatched. It doesn’t look like there’s anything too serious happening, and even though Buck  _ wants _ to go deeper to see what is happening, he doesn’t dare do so, eyeing the water wearily before turning to Chris and smiling when he asks if he can have the water up to the middle of his back.

Taking another deep breath, Buck kneels a little bit more, thankful he’s in water and his knee isn’t giving him too many problems right now. He continues to watch the team, how effortless they work together, and part of him feels a pang for not being there with him, though he knows it could have been incredibly worse if this had been happening months before.

When it appears that the team is finally done, Buck has to blink in surprise when Eddie sits down in front of him on the edge of the pool, a grin on his face - not just because Eddie is sitting in front of him, but because at one point, Buck had subconsciously gone deeper into the water, and Christopher hadn’t said a thing to him about it. Turning to look at Chris, he’s not surprised to find Chris grinning at him before he turns towards Eddie.

“Hi Daddy,” Chris says and Buck hums softly when Eddie says hi back. Buck can see the rest of the team coming up from behind Eddie and part of him wants to swim back and hide but he stays still, choosing to look at Eddie carefully.

“I uh, I didn’t realize you guys were here,” Buck admits, cheeks turning red and Eddie snorts, shaking his head.

“I noticed the moment I stepped into the pool area. You were still pretty shallow, but Buck - I’m so proud of you, man,” Eddie says and Buck can’t help the chuckle that escapes from him as he shifts Chris in his arms before passing him off to Eddie when Eddie holds his arms out.

“Hen, can you grab our towels? They’re on their chairs over there,” Buck asks, tilting his head back towards the chairs as Hen nods, Bobby and Chim stepping backwards to give the two of them some privacy, which Buck finds himself thankful for. Hen comes back quickly, passing the towel to Eddie and then placing Buck’s on the ground next to Eddie before going to stand next to the rest of the team, and Buck finds himself looking at Eddie with wide eyes.

“You’re proud of me?” Buck asks, watching as Eddie carefully dries a giggling Christopher, a small smile on his face, cheeks still red as Eddie nods.

“Buck, look at you - you’re in the water, with my  _ son _ , and you were doing everything to put his comfort over your own,” Eddie says and Buck can feel his heart pounding in his chest as he lets out a grin before standing up completely and then jumping onto the edge of the cement, grabbing his own towel to dry himself off as Eddie wraps the towel around Chris and helps him stand up.

“Why don’t you go back to the chairs, mijo.” He suggests and Chris nods, the team following as he heads back to the chairs. Buck watches him carefully before he turns to Eddie, ducking his head as he tries to focus on drying himself off, until Eddie tilts his head back up.

“I’m so damn proud of you, Evan,” Eddie says and Buck has to blink because in all of the months he’s known Eddie, not once had the man even hinted that he knew Buck’s real name. Taking a breath, Buck opens and closes his mouth before nudging Eddie’s hand away from his chin, interlacing their fingers and holding it up to his lips, kissing Eddie’s hand without thought before he closes his eyes.

“I don’t---” Buck begins after a few minutes, shaking his head before blinking in surprise when he feels Eddie stand up, dragging him up with him.

“Buck, it’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to get better with baby steps. No matter what, I’m  _ proud _ of you, okay?” Eddie says and Buck nods before shuffling closer to Eddie and wrapping his arms around the man, soaking in his scent and relaxing completely as Eddie wraps his arms around him.

“The entire time I was trying to decide if we should do this, I kept wishing you were with me,” Buck admits and he can feel Eddie’s hum in response before he pulls away and kisses him lightly, ignoring the cheers from their team and the giggles from Christopher.

“I kept thinking about you two too, you know,” Eddie says after breaking away and Buck can’t help but nudge Eddie, a small smile on his face. “And then when I heard our call was at a pool, a part of me hoped and wished you would be here.” Eddie chuckles and Buck lets out a soft snort before pulling away completely.

“Here we are,” he chuckles, doing small jazz hands as Eddie snorts in response, shaking his head fondly.

“Every little step Buck is super important. I want you to remember that,” Eddie says, walking towards the chairs Buck had claimed early on, their hands linked together as Buck nods, holding onto the towels carefully before he looks at the rest of the team with a small smile, even as Eddie breaks his hold on Buck’s hand to look through the bag for the spare set of clothes.

“I didn’t realize you were still facing issues with the tsunami,” Bobby says when Buck stands next to him and for a minute, Buck wants to deny it but the idea passes by quickly as he nods his head, folding the towels carefully and putting them back into his bag, passing Christopher a water bottle he had packed.

“Even after the mess up with the pool issue earlier?” Buck asks, arching his eyebrow while Bobby snorts, tilting his head in acknowledgement.

“True, but I guess I didn’t put the pieces together like I normally would have,” Bobby responds and Buck nods, blinking when he spots Eddie watching him with a soft smile, Christopher putting on clothes slowly in front of him.

“How long has this been coming?” Bobby asks, tilting his head towards Eddie and Buck can feel his cheeks turn red before he lets out a snort and looks at Bobby, arching one of his eyebrows in response.

“I do believe I warned you after we diffused the bomb in the guy’s leg that we could get real close,” Buck teases, grinning when Bobby laughs before he claps his hand onto Buck’s shoulder.

“Go, get out of here. I’ll let Eddie go with you and you can collect his things after your next shift,” Bobby says and Buck finds himself smiling gratefully at his captain before he heads towards Eddie and Chris, waving at Hen and Chimney before grabbing his clothes and putting his shirt on.

“Looks like you’re coming home with us, Diaz,” Buck teases and he can’t help but snort when Eddie grins, standing up and kissing him lightly. He can hear Christopher giggling in the background but before he can think too hard about it, Eddie is pulling away, arms wrapping around Buck’s waist.

“More like, it looks like you’re coming home with  _ us _ ,” Eddie teases, and Buck can’t help but smile, a soft hum escaping from him.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he admits, leaning down to kiss Eddie once more, hearing the fire truck pull away. He knows he doesn’t feel completely safe with water, but Eddie was right - one step at a time is perfectly okay and today?

Today was the perfect first step.

**Author's Note:**

> Story, as always, isn't beta edited. To the original prompter, I hope you enjoyed the story, and I'm sorry it took so long to respond. As always, comments are loved and appreciated.


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